Praedicator

Verba

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 - 1st Week of Lent - Wed

" At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here." [Luke]

Jonah's story is an ancient and familiar one. Usually what people remember about it nowadays is that he was swallowed by a "whale" and survived to tell the tale. What is not remembered is that he was a most reluctant prophet and tried to run away from God's call. Another thing that escapes popular attention is that Jonah was the most successful prophet in the Old Testament. The people of Nineveh actually repented when they heard his preaching! Jesus sounds almost envious of Jonah in feeling frustrated by the expectations of those who were following him. They were looking for a "sign." What they don't realize is that Jesus IS the sign. He is much more important than Jonah!

By the world's standards of quantity, Jesus was considered something of a failure, especially by being crucified by the Romans. That kind of death was reserved for criminals and rebels against Roman authority. His initial group of committed followers was very small. Yet, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, they became themselves a "sign" through their preaching and lives. Christianity may not be a unanimous faith in our world, but the one who is THE sign to us died to save ALL of us, Christian and non-Christian alike. That is a great success, whether any of us acknowledge it or not. Maybe in this Lent we can resolve to make Jesus better known and loved? He is not a figure from a distant past or a distant heaven. He is alive and well in you and me. We can be signs of his success, AMEN